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align=center><FONT face=Georgia><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ">Mamaí’s</SPAN></B><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#333333> ‘The Testament of Mary’ steps too
gently</FONT></SPAN></B></FONT></P>
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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
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color=#333333 face=Georgia></FONT></SPAN></B> </P>
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face=Georgia>Bob Abelman</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'></SPAN></P>
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align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
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face=Georgia>Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning
Journal</FONT></SPAN></I><SPAN
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face=Georgia>Member, International Association of Theatre
Critics</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
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face=Georgia>The voice of Mary – the <SPAN
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of God, the Madonna, the Blessed Virgin</SPAN> in accordance to<SPAN
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Christian belief – is </SPAN>conspicuously absent from the New Testament.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
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face=Georgia></FONT></SPAN> </P>
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face=Georgia><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial">But the grieving,
flesh and blood mother of the historical Christ is given ample opportunity to
speak in Irish author </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>Colm
Tóibín’s </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial">“The Testament of
Mary,” a 2012 novella that was turned into the </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#333333>80-minute monologue that </FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial">is currently being
staged by </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: ">Mamaí<B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial">Theatre.</SPAN></FONT></P>
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face=Georgia></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial"><FONT
face=Georgia>And, as she states at the play’s opening, “I remember everything.”
</FONT></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-bidi-font-family: arial"><FONT
face=Georgia></FONT></SPAN> </P>
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face=Georgia><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#333333>At the end of the play, Mary asks “was it worth it?”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If this same question was applied to
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: ">Mamaí’s<B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B>production, the answer would be yes.
</SPAN></FONT></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Georgia><FONT style="face: georgia"><I
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more of this article, go to </SPAN></I><I
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style="COLOR: #0563c1">www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/</FONT></SPAN></I><I
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